Keeping a boat out of the water when the boat is not in use reduces wear and tear on the boat hull caused by marine organisms, corrosion, and the effects of wind and waves. Boats are often kept out of the water by means of a boat lift fitted to a boat dock. Many boat slips, boat houses, or other boat docking facilities, both recreational and commercial, have a boat lift system to raise and lower a boat from and to the water surface. Often the boat lift system is used to lift the boat to a level high above the water surface, often to a level above the boat dock deck surface. These situations occur when the boat docking facility is subjected to shallow water conditions, or when there are highly fluctuating water levels around the boat docking facility, or when the boat docking facility is subjected to rough water conditions brought on by wind and waves.
Such boat lift systems often utilize a winch connected to a network of cables and pulleys mounted on support piling or other framework positioned around a boat slip. These cables support boat cradles that hold a boat within the boat slip as the boat is raised and lowered. Depending upon the construction of the boat dock facility, the lift framework, and the weight of the boat to be lifted, such boat lift systems may have two or more winches to manipulate the cables supporting the boat cradles. The winches work together when lifting the boat into and out of the water and are controlled to stop or move up and down by a hoist control box having a toggle switch or lever, When two or more inches are used in a lift system, each winch typically has a separate hoist control box that has a separate toggle switch or lever. The toggle switches of the hoist control boxes are typically three position switches. The three positioned switches are arranged so that the toggle switches may be pivoted or toggled to a first or neutral position where the winch is inactive, to a second position where the hoist is engaged to lift the boat, and a third position where the hoist is engaged to lower the boat.
These toggle switch control boxes are often located high up on the boat dock framework, at eye level or higher, in order to keep the toggle control boxes out of the water during high water conditions such as during a high tide. On return to the dock in a low tide or low water situation, a user who enters the boat slip, unless there is third party assistance at the dock, is either forced to climb out of the boat and up a ladder, if one is available, or pull himself up onto the boat dock deck directly from the boat in order to exit the boat and reach the control switches. In either case, the user is greatly inconvenienced at best and at worst, is subject to the risk of fall and injury.
Remote control devices for hoist control switches have been utilized but replacing or refitting control switches on existing boat lift systems to incorporate remote control devices is expensive. Consequently, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and inexpensive device to allow a boat user to manipulate the elevated control switches of boat lift systems. Further, allowing the user to enter the boat and then manually manipulate the elevated switches directly from the boat during both high and low water conditions will minimize the inconvenience and risks noted above with existing manual controlled boat switches. A further need exists for a device that may be added to existing boat lift systems at a minimal cost in order to provide a user greater flexibility in the use and manipulation of the toggle switches of the hoist control boxes.